XRP price extended losses and traded below $1.40. The price is now 
consolidating losses but faces hurdles near $1.4320 and $1.450. XRP price 
started another decline and traded below the $1.420 zone. The price is now 
trading below $1.420 and the 100-hourly Simple Moving Average. There is a key 
bearish trend line forming with resistance at $1.4620 on the hourly chart of 
the XRP/USD pair (data source from Kraken). The pair could continue to move 
down if it stays below $1.4650. XRP Price Extends Losses XRP price failed to 
stay above $1.450 and extended its decline, like Bitcoin and Ethereum. The 
price declined below $1.420 and $1.4150 to enter a short-term bearish zone. 
The price even extended losses below $1.40. A low was formed at $1.3816, and 
the price is now consolidating losses. There was a minor upward move above the 
23.6% Fib retracement level of the downward move from the $1.5120 swing high 
to the $1.3816 low. The price is now trading below $1.420 and the 100-hourly 
Simple Moving Average. If there is a fresh recovery move, the price might face 
resistance near the $1.4320 level. The first major resistance is near the 
$1.450 level or the 50% Fib retracement level of the downward move from the 
$1.5120 swing high to the $1.3816 low. The main resistance could be $1.4620. 
There is also a key bearish trend line forming with resistance at $1.4620 on 
the hourly chart of the XRP/USD pair. A close above $1.4620 could send the 
price to $1.480. The next hurdle sits at $1.50. A clear move above the $1.50 
resistance might send the price toward the $1.5320 resistance. Any more gains 
might send the price toward the $1.550 resistance. The next major hurdle for 
the bulls might be near $1.5650. Downside Continuation? If XRP fails to clear 
the $1.4620 resistance zone, it could start a fresh decline. Initial support 
on the downside is near the $1.3980 level. The next major support is near the 
$1.3850 level. If there is a downside break and a close below the $1.3850 
level, the price might continue to decline toward $1.3620. The next major 
support sits near the $1.350 zone, below which the price could continue lower 
toward $1.320. Technical Indicators Hourly MACD – The MACD for XRP/USD is now 
gaining pace in the bearish zone. Hourly RSI (Relative Strength Index) – The 
RSI for XRP/USD is now below the 50 level. Major Support Levels – $1.3850 and 
$1.3620. Major Resistance Levels – $1.4500 and $1.4620.

XRP Price Downside Momentum Builds Amid Fading Recovery Hopes

Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari says crypto is “utterly useless” 
compared to AI, and that pro-stablecoin arguments are “a buzzword salad.”

Fed’s Kashkari lashes crypto and stablecoins, praises AI

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse sidestepped a direct question about whether the 
company would ever buy a bank, using the moment instead to restate Ripple’s 
institutional-first strategy and argue that clearer US rules are already 
unlocking demand for stablecoins and XRP Ledger based payments. Speaking with 
James Hasso at the Economic Club of New York on Feb. 18, Garlinghouse was 
asked whether Ripple might acquire a bank outright or lean into tighter 
partnerships as it works with large financial institutions and builds out its 
stablecoin business. “I’m going to dodge part of your question answer,” 
Garlinghouse said, before pivoting into why Ripple has historically embraced 
banks rather than positioning itself against them. What Is Ripple&#8217;s Plan? 
Garlinghouse framed Ripple’s posture as deliberately contrarian relative to 
early crypto culture. “Ripple took a contrarian and controversial strategy 
approach to how we went to market early on and that made us unpopular in 
crypto,” he said. “Early on Ripple said banks are our customers. If we want 
these technologies to have the biggest impact on the largest number of people, 
banks are the touch point for people in their financial services 
relationships.” Related Reading: Ripple Wins Key UAE Bank Partnership To 
Support Digital Asset Infrastructure He contrasted that with what he described 
as crypto’s initial instinct to build outside the existing system. “The 
earliest days of crypto was a very anti-bank anti-government uh let’s build a 
parallel universe,” Garlinghouse said. “Ripple always took the point of view 
that we’re going to be a bridge between what we would now call tradfi or 
traditional finance and defy decentralized finance.” That bridge-building 
claim also anchored his response on Ripple’s regulatory posture around its 
stablecoin business. Garlinghouse said Ripple launched RLUSD 13 months ago and 
claimed it now sits “about number five” among the largest stablecoins—an 
outcome he linked to leaning into oversight rather than avoiding it. 
Garlinghouse highlighted a New York Department of Financial Services trust 
license and a conditional OCC charter, characterizing the latter as “belt and 
suspenders” for the stablecoin business. “We think that uniquely positions us 
as you know almost overregulated,” he said. “But we want that…because we work 
with institutions we want them to look at us as going above and beyond to make 
sure there is that level of oversight so there’s no questions…is the 
stablecoin backed one to one [and]…the attestations on a regular basis about 
those backings.” Then came the cleanest non-answer of the session. “And I’m 
going to skip the question, will we ever buy a bank? They are customers,” 
Garlinghouse said. Related Reading: XRP Community Day Recap: The 7 Most 
Bullish Takeaways Pressed on whether additional US legislation could 
accelerate adoption, Garlinghouse pointed to an earlier example: “The Genius 
Act was the stable coin legislation that passed…President Trump signed it 
either at the end of July or early August,” he said. “That was an unlock for 
sure…we definitely saw a big uptick in stablecoin activity after that became 
law.” He argued a similar effect could follow if the Clarity Act passes, 
because clearer definitions would give boards, CFOs, and banks more room to 
move. For corporates, he emphasized operational utility—especially “24/7 
ability to move” stablecoins—arguing that “being able to make a payment on a 
Sunday afternoon sometimes is important.” Garlinghouse said Ripple has kept 
its commercial center of gravity on payments because the value proposition is 
straightforward: faster, cheaper settlement. On tokenization, he was 
supportive but selective, noting friction in traditional settlement cycles 
like “T+3” and “T+1,” while also warning that some projects feel like “a 
technology in search of a problem.” He pointed to BlackRock CEO Larry Fink as 
a prominent advocate, saying Fink believes a “huge percentage of assets will 
be tokenized,” and added: “I agree with him.” But Garlinghouse stressed that 
execution will be “vertical by vertical,” arguing domain experts, not Ripple, 
need to drive sectors it doesn’t understand, like insurance. At press time, 
XRP traded at $1.4027. Featured image from YouTube, chart from TradingView.com

Will Ripple Buy A Bank? Garlinghouse Dodges But The Trail Is Clear

Sanctions evasion networks, guarantee marketplaces, and large-scale money 
laundering schemes dominated illicit stablecoin use, says TRM Labs.

Illicit stablecoin activity hit 5-year high of $141B in 2025: TRM Labs

Kevin O’Leary shared insights into how a 50% bitcoin correction is prompting 
institutions to recalibrate crypto exposure, rotate capital after steep 
losses, and factor in emerging quantum computing risks shaping long-term 
strategy. Kevin O’Leary Reveals How Institutions Reassess Bitcoin After Major 
Correction and Quantum Fears Digital asset markets regularly move through 
boom-and-bust cycles that test […]

Cryptocurrency price in KWD